A searing memoir of American racism from a Somali-American who survived hardships in his birth
country only to experience firsthand the dehumanization of Black people in his adopted land
the United States.No one told me about America. Born in Somalia and raised in a valley among
nomads Boyah Farah grew up with a code of male bravado that helped him survive deprivation
disease and civil war. Arriving in America he believed that the code that had saved him would
help him succeed in this new country. But instead of safety and freedom Boyah found systemic
racism police brutality and intense prejudice in all areas of life including the workplace.
He learned firsthand not only what it meant to be an African in America but what it means to
be African American. The code of masculinity that shaped generations of men in his family could
not prepare Farah for the painful realities of life in the United States. Lyrical yet unsparing
America Made Me a Black Man is the first book-length examination of American racism from an
African perspective. With a singular poetic voice brimming with imagery Boyah Farah challenges
us to face difficult truths about the destructive forces that threaten Black lives. By
affirming that there is a melancholy redemption in possessing a Black body in America he also
attempts to heal a fracture in Black men's identity in this unforgettable book.
